Rising Stars 7

Review by Mike Helba

In Issue 7 of Rising Stars everything hits the fan.

The government has accepted Jason Miller's story that many of the Specials are forming a conspiracy. Personal liberty goes out the window as armed troops are sent to take the Specials into custody.

John Simon and Randy Fisk try to organize an evacuation of the Specials to hiding places. However, many of them are captured or killed.

The man in the middle of the chaos is Matthew Bright. He has been assigned by the government to work with Jason Miller and Jerry Montrose to arrest the Specials. John Simon tries to convince him that Jason is the true villain. The storyline may be significantly impacted by who Matthew eventually believes and joins.

The major revelation in this issue is the nature of John Simon's power. As suspected, he is potentially the most powerful of the Specials.

This issue features the first extended superpower battle in Rising Stars. Unlike standard comic book fare, Straczynski has interspersed the eight-page slugfest between John and Mathew with a flashback between John and Dr. Welles in which the nature of John's power and his lot in life is revealed. This technique is an example of what makes Straczynski's comic book scripts so outstanding.

Christian Zanier's artwork is fairly good except for the two pages that feature Chandra. These pages look like they are inked by a different artist. From her depiction in these panels, it is impossible to believe that Chandra is the most beautiful woman in the world.

One promising item is the implication that Dr. Welles may play a significant role in the next issue. His unique perspective on the Specials is always welcome.

Issue 7 has no letter column, but it does have a short interview with Joe Straczynski.

The synopsis provides a detailed summary of Issue 7. It contains spoilers.